Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT) is a discontinued high-speed, high-capacity magnetic tape data storage format developed and controlled by Sony. It was introduced in 1996 to utilise Advanced Metal Evaporated (AME) technology. It competed mainly against the DLT, LTO, DAT/DDS, and VXA formats. AIT uses 8mm tape in a cassette similar to Video8. Super AIT (SAIT) is a higher capacity variant using wider half inch (1/2") tape in a larger, single-spool cartridge. Both AIT and SAIT use the helical scan method of reading and writing to the tape.
AIT technology was available in two form factors.
In March 2010, Sony announced the discontinuation of the AIT product line, and renewed collaboration with Hewlett-Packard on further development of the DDS tape format,[1]
One of the most compelling features of the AIT format is that many generations are both backwards and forwards compatible. This allows multiple generations of tape drives to both read and write to multiple generations of tape media.
| Generation | AIT-E Turbo | AIT-1 | AIT-1 Turbo | AIT-2 | AIT-2 Turbo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | 2004 | 1996 | 2004 | 1999 | ||
| Native Capacity (GB) | 20 | 25, 35 | 40 | 36, 50 | 80 | |
| Max Speed (MB/s) | 6 | 3, 4 | 6 | 6 | 12 | |
| Encoding | Trellis-coding for Partial Response (TCPR) | |||||
| RPM | 4800 | 6400 | ||||
| Tape Length (m) | 98 | 170, 230 | 186 | 170, 230 | 186 | |
| Tape Thickness (μm) | 6.6 | 7.0, 5.3 | 6.6 | 7.0, 5.3 | 6.6 |
| Generation | AIT-3 | AIT-3Ex | AIT-4 | AIT-5 | AIT-6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | 2001 | 2006 | 2005 | 2006 | cancelled | |
| Native Capacity (GB) | 100 | 150 | 200 | 400 | 800 | |
| Max Speed (MB/s) | 12 | 18 | 24 | 24 | ||
| Encoding | Extended TC-PRML | Turbo-coded modulation | Turbo-coded modulation | |||
| Tape Length (m) | 230 | 246 | 246 | |||
| Tape Thickness (μm) | 5.3 | 4.8 | 4.8 | |||
| WORM Capable | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Generation | SAIT-1 | SAIT-2 | SAIT-3 | SAIT-4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | 2003 | 2006 | cancelled | cancelled | |
| Native Capacity (GB) | 500 | 800 | 2000 | 4000 | |
| Max Speed (MB/s) | 30 | 45 | 120 | 240 | |
| Tape Length (m) | 600 | 640 | |||
| Tape Thickness (μm) | 8.6 |
The AIT format was developed and is controlled by Sony.
Released in 2006 by Sony, available only in libraries, 800 GB native and 45 MB/s sustained transfer rate.[3]
Advanced Metal Evaporated is a different formulation of tape media.
Memory-in-Cassetteis a 16-64KB memory chip in the cartridge that keeps relevant information about the data on the tape to allow quicker access. The drive did not have to read the whole tape until it came across the file required like a file index.
Remote - Memory in CassetteLike MIC except it does not require physical contact.
Write Once Read Many functionality, useful for archive keeping.